I encourage you to make 2016 the year that you fulfill personal, career, and spiritual goals and begin walking in your unique purpose. No more frustration with stagnant careers or relationships, while wishing for a meaningful and rewarding life. It’s time to eliminate the obstacles holding you back. It’s time to begin mapping your journey towards purposeful living.

It’s time to GET IT DONE!

To begin, let’s look at what I call my 10 key Compass Principles. Why are they called Compass Principles? These sequential steps are critical in helping you navigate your journey to a purpose-filled life while never losing sight of your destination.

Assess Where You Are. Ask yourself (and answer truthfully and candidly), “Am I living a purposeful life?”

Determine Where You Should Be (in alignment with God’s plan). This is called the Visioning Process. Think beyond your physical sight or what you know. Be open to God’s inspired vision for your life. The best place for you to prosper may not be apparent to you at your current stage in life.

Identify Your Passions. Write down the things that fulfill you and give you joy, even if you are NOT paid to do them.

Identify Your Gifts And Talents. God gives us so many clues as to what our gifts and talents are. Ask some of those closest and trusted people in your life what are your dominant strengths. Always allow prayer to lead you to the path of our Heavenly Father, who is the giver of all gifts!

Identify Your Opportunity Areas. Be aware of opportunities that present themselves where you move closer to your desired goals. For example, if you desire to be a public speaker, someone may host an event where you’re able to speak and share your gift, even if it’s a non-paid opportunity. Do not overlook small beginnings. They always lead to greater flourishes.

Identify Destiny Blockers. Ask yourself what is blocking you from living a purposeful life. Is it time? Money? Lack of resources? Specific skills? Whatever it is, it shouldn’t matter. There will never be a perfect time to start a journey into a purposeful life. There will always be something you think is “missing”. But you can overcome and eliminate all excuses by simply taking action and trusting in God. Excuses are parasites that will hinder or even stop your progress. God will fill in the gaps, no matter what you feel is missing.

Create An Action Plan. The old Benjamin Franklin quote still holds true: if you fail to plan, you plan to fail. Write down a plan to align your passions to goals (actions, timelines). This plan should include short, intermediate, and long term goals.

Take The First Step. Be intentional about getting started. Move decisively towards living a purposeful life. Don’t worry if—or when—it becomes difficult or uncomfortable. As mentioned earlier, taking the first step is how you overcome the destiny blockers that hold you back.

“Take the first step in faith. You don’t have to see the whole staircase, just take the first step.” ~ Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

And for my own personal favorite quote:

“You’ll never know what you can achieve until you take steps toward what you believe.” ~ Jewel Brodie-Reid